with the federal law because it doesn’t meet their needs and is not working. Their struggles reflect the problem in having balance in literacy instruction.
Balance begins between authentic literacy experiences and basic skills education. This is a good place to start. Children are not drawn to a structured curriculum; they are drawn to the magic of a story. In fact they don’t even think about the mechanics at all. They immerse themselves in the pictures on the page or the pictures in their mind as their imagination illustrates the
words being read to them. They interact with the story sometimes by play-acting or illustrating the story themselves. These types of experiences build happy emotional connections with their interaction with language and words. Over time we emphasize more complex structures and vocabulary. Part of balance is always finding the magic in what we are teaching, no matter what the
subject is. There is magic in the words and structures of math problems. There is magic in the framework of a persuasive essay. We need to balance the mechanics of reading and writing by blending them with subjects and themes that relate to the child.
Some of the challenges for finding balance come from the complexities of our own society. We are
blending many cultures, languages, expectations, and socio-economic standards. We have some parents who smother their kids to the point that they can’t go the bathroom without
permission and others who may never see their children because of incompatible work schedules. Further, education levels of the parents contribute to how prepared a child is to begin reading in
a classroom setting. Another challenge comes with the size of a class. A child’s competency in reading and writing is unique. It is difficult for a teacher to develop each child without one-on-one
time. This is virtually impossible in our current public school structure. Our current model almost requires parental interaction each day in order to meet state and federal literacy requirements. Another challenge relates to funding for tools and technology which help engage our children in the classroom and build a love for reading and writing.
Balance in the literacy curriculum begins at home. Parents need to stand up and do their part,
regardless of the education level, work schedule, or their ability to speak English or not. Schools need to have a shared responsibility and metrics which show how the school and the parent and
the child are each doing their part to meet the federal and state standards. Balance can also be reached through technology. We can rethink how we deliver our literacy curriculum and try to incorporate more technology. This will not only liberate learning from the confines of the daily school schedule, but it will prepare students for the type of work they may do as adults.
They way that my profession is contributing to literacy education is through workforce literacy programming. We work with adults to learn the functional skills to do their job. We also provide
professional development opportunities to help them set and achieve personal learning goals that improve their career. In our company we pay for diploma programs, seminars, webinars, conference, and other learning experiences. More and more companies realize that by investing in their employee’s education, they have stronger and more profitable companies.
professional development opportunities to help them set and achieve personal learning goals that improve their career. In our company we pay for diploma programs, seminars, webinars, conference, and other learning experiences. More and more companies realize that by investing in their employee’s education, they have stronger and more profitable companies.
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